Sunday, August 31, 2014

Palaoa

Male the narrow waters, female for the broad waters
Born is the Palaoa (whale) living in the ocean
Guarded by the ʻAoa (sandlewood) that grew in the forest

O ke kaʻina a palaoa e kaʻi nei
E kuwili O haʻahaʻa i ka moana

The procession of whales leading forward
To spin to the depths of the sea.

The Hawaiian Chant of Creation, known as the Kumulipo, is a genealogical creation chant composed in Hawaii for the chief, Ka-’I-i-mamao, about the eighteenth century, comprising more than 2,000 lines.

It contains 2,000 names representing 812 generations the sum of linear time in that history is about 22,300 years, or roughly one precession of the equinoxes dating back to around 21,000 BC. (Rubellite Kawena Kinney Johnson)

In the beginning of creation there exists only the infinite potential of all things yet born — there is no light. This is the deep darkness (the Po) and in this realm neither time nor space (Ao) exists in the way we understand them today. (kaipalaoa)

In the Po, things in the heavens and deepest part of the sea remained yet unformed. The stars, sun and moon are turning and forming as the earth become solidified as the firmament - Papa (Earth mother, a foundation.) The plants and animals begin forming next and man does not yet exist. It is in the time of Po that the Palaoa come into existence.

From the Kumulipo we learn not only of the birth of all life on earth but also of our role as humans in the story of creation. It is the whale who helped to sing or chant us into being and led the way for the coming of the time of Ao (Light), when man and the world as we know it today were brought into being. (kaipalaoa)

The koholā or whale was formerly called the palaoa. (Malo) The whale enters in the second Wa (or epoch of creation). They are a part of the early creation process and are therefore of both a physical and divine consciousness. They are therefore able to exist both in the realm of Po and that of Ao, the darkness and the light.

The Kumulipo, Second Era, Sixteenth verse speaks of the birth of the whale: "Hanau ka palaoa noho I kai" - born is the whale living in the ocean.

The Kumulipo teaches us that the whale plays a special role in creation; they usher in the time of the Ao - when light comes into the world, when man is made and opens his eyes. In the Ao, is when time, space and the physical world as we know it today takes form. So it is the whale that helped usher this time and space into being. (kaipalaoa)

In the ocean, outside lay a belt called kai-kohola, where swim the whales, monsters of the sea; beyond this lay the deep ocean, moana. If any large fish – such as a whale - or a log strapped with iron, should be cast ashore, it was to be offered to the gods, (ie, it was to be given to the priests for the use of the king). The whale was not taken by Hawaiian fishermen. (Malo)

The whale species hunted in the 19th century were primarily the North Pacific right, the humpback, the fin and the gray whale; they also caught blue and sperm whale. The right and humpback are baleen species; rather than teeth, baleen plates filter food from water.

Whaling was an integral part of the development of many countries in the early nineteenth century. Whale blubber produced oil that lit the lamps and greased the machines of many of the most “modern” inventions of the time. It was said that whale oil was the illumination and lubrication of the Industrial Revolution. (Bishop Museum)

As the traditional hunting grounds of the Atlantic began to be fished out, whalers turned to the plentiful waters of the Pacific. Some of the most bountiful harvesting grounds were found off the coast of Japan.

Japan’s ports however, were closed to foreign vessels; Hawai‘i became a perfect destination for these whaling fleets needing a place to dock, replenish supplies, repair the ships and rest the crews,.

Whalers began arriving in Hawai‘i in 1819, and by 1822 over sixty ships were docking annually. Honolulu, Lāhainā and Kōloa were the primary anchorage areas for the whalers. By 1846, the number of whaling ships arriving in Hawai‘i had reached 596-ships.

The sailors, and their ships needed supplies, food, tools, liquor and many more commodities that often newly arrived “businessmen” were ready to supply. Hawai‘i became a “gold rush” town that attracted people of all types.

Some of the most influential businesses in modern Hawaiian history got their start from the capitalist opportunities of this period. Hawai‘i also saw the loss of young Hawaiian men who traveled aboard these ships to the northwest coast of America and other destinations. (Bishop Museum)

The whale is the largest ocean form and a majestic manifestation of Kanaloa. (The palaoa is the sperm whale – the Koholā is the humpback whale.) Whale ivory that washed ashore was considered sacred. From the ivory, the highly prized "Palaoa" or whale-tooth pendant is carved. This whale tooth lei or lei niho palaoa was only worn by aliʻi of high rank. (KIRC)

The scarcity of the palaoa and its connection to Kanaloa brought mana to the carver, to the pendant itself and eventually to the wearer of the pendant.

The aliʻi who possessed this kinolau or body form of the great God would himself/herself acquire the characteristics, intelligence and knowledge of the God. Therefore it would be advantageous for any aliʻi to secure the ivory whale-tooth of this Kanaloa body form. (KIRC)

The whale at Bishop Museum, unlike those that were caught for their oil, is actually a sperm whale. It was the first specimen installed in Hawaiian Hall in December of 1901 and has hung there ever since. It is over 55 feet long and weighs over two tons. (Bishop Museum)

The image shows a Lei Niho Palaoa (neck ornament carved from a sperm whale tooth, braided human hair and olona cordage.) In addition, I have added some other images in a folder of like name in the Photos section on my Facebook and Google+ pages.

About Me

I am a lifetime resident of Hawai`i. I’ve been in the private sector for 30-years, 2-years in County Administration and 4 1/2-years in State Administration. Our firm, Ho`okuleana LLC, is a planning and consulting firm assisting property owners with land use planning efforts, including environmental review, entitlement process, permitting, community outreach, etc.
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About the historical posts … in an effort to provide brief background summaries of various people, places and events in Hawaiʻi, I make informal compilations from a variety of sources. These are not intended to be technical reference documents; rather they are assemblages of information and images from various sources. In many cases, specific citations and attributions are often omitted. The images and text in various posts are from various sources and are presented for personal, non-commercial and/or educational purposes.